Limmud has cut the price for young volunteers at this year’s winter festival in a bid to encourage more to attend.

Students and young adults from 18 to 35 can take part in the five- day event for £179, in return for 16 hours volunteering under the organisation’s Yad scheme. Last year, the minimum Yad price was £219 and volunteers were expected to put in 20 hours.

Festival chairman Jonathan Robinson said: “We have responded to the demand from young people regarding volunteering opportunities. There are more Yad places available, which means less hours for each person. Best of all, we have reduced the price for Yads to ensure the festival is as accessible as possible.”

This year’s gathering, which runs in Birmingham from December 23 to 27, will feature a special emphasis on Sephardi and Mizrachi (Eastern Jewish) culture.

Elliot Jebreel, chair of the festival’s programming group, said that “as a Jewish-Iranian, I have grown up in a Jewish community where Ashkenazi Judaism is the default.

“It has been great to volunteer for Limmud to make sure that the festival this year celebrates Jewish histories and cultures from the Middle East, North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, better reflecting the true diversity of the Jewish world.”

Confirmed presenters include Leilah Broukhim, a Madrid-based flamenco dancer, who will talk about the dance and the influence of Sephardi culture.

Chloe Pourmorady, a Persian-American composer, violinist and singer from California, will perform her fusion music, which blends Persian, Turkish and Balkan influences with rock and the avant garde.

Another guest will be Arya Marvazy, also from California and with an Iranian-Jewish background, who is managing director of JQ International, which reaches out to LGBTQ Jews to strengthen their Jewish identity.

Limmudniks will be able to expand their musical horizons at an Eastern Beats disco.